Press Cycle 13 - The Budget

This budget has been such a disaster that it has claimed the political career of the Chancellor of the Exchequer which begs the question, will the Government continue to support it? When you stand on providing higher welfare for all and cut welfare in real terms, when you fight for the triple lock but can't be bothered to implement it, and when you understaff your own hospitals you have to ask whether the budget is actually passable? The Government have no choice, they have got to withdraw the budget or it must be voted down because it is an omnishambles.

Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire
Leader of the Opposition (2014-16)

This budget is a lifeline for Britain's environment. Whilst there is much still to be done, the Government should be congratulated for the targeted investments they are making into the green economy. The money for a landmark creation of a flood protection agency is not a luxury but an absolute necessity to help combat the very real impact of climate change. For coastal communities across Britain, this necessary work demonstrates that the Government understand our seaside towns. For years the Tories haven't taken Britain's coasts seriously and at long last, we have a Government that does. Combined with the green taxation, low carbon subsidies and additional funding for the Environment Agency also introduced, it is refreshing for areas like ours.

The proposed budget would have been a lifeline for Britain's environment. Whilst there is much still to be done, the Government should be congratulated for the targeted investments they want to make into the green economy. The money for a landmark creation of a flood protection agency is not a luxury but an absolute necessity to help combat the very real impact of climate change. For coastal communities across Britain, this necessary work demonstrates that the Government understand our seaside towns. For years the Tories haven't taken Britain's coasts seriously and at long last, we have a Government that does. Combined with the green taxation, low carbon subsidies and additional funding for the Environment Agency also proposed, it is refreshing for areas like ours and I hope to see them in the final version.

This budget has been nothing short of an abject failure by the Government, borne out by both parties incumbent within it. Both parties were complicit in the failure to ensure the continuation of the triple lock, both parties were complicit in the failure to hire enough medical staff to fill out the new wards, both parties were complicit in the failure to create the armed forces triple lock that was promised. Then moving on from that it would appear that the Labour Party were also behind the unlinking of pensioner benefits from inflation and the real terms cut in Welfare, much to the chagrin of their voters I am sure. This budget emphasises again just how badly out of touch with the voters and just how chaotic a Labour-led Government is with the economy. I never thought I'd see a government fail so spectacularly that it made the Macdonald, Eden, Chamberlain, and Cambel Administrations look like resounding successes, this Government do just that.

Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire
Leader of the Opposition (2014-16)

I am pleased that the Government have chosen to withdrawn the single worst budget in the history of our country. This debacle is a national embarrassment and the Government must get to the bottom of how it was allowed to get this far whilst ensuring it never happens again.

Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire
Leader of the Opposition (2014-16)

The Government was right to withdraw the Finance Bill so that it can be refined. Constituencies like mine with high numbers of families who are struggling to make ends meet need the progressive policies that the Government are proposing. It's essential, therefore, that these policies, targeted at helping our most vulnerable citizens, carry forward. The important thing now is that the progressive policies the Government included in the first version, are included in the final because our communities need them.

The progressive policies included in the Finance Bill should now be carefully refined by the Government. I hope that the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats now work together to review the impact these policies can have on the average working families across the country. It is clear that this impact will be very positive for working people. There may, however, be more that can be done to improve their implementation. There will now be an opportunity to refine the proposals to ensure that the progressive policies put forward have the maximum impact for hard working people.

I can only apologise for the mistakes that have become the hallmark of this budget process, it is unacceptable and it is now incumbent on the Government to make this right. With the budget withdrawn we can now presented the budget as it was should have been, a progressive budget that protects the most vulnerable in our society, that provides the funding our public schools and NHS needs, the protects our communities from flooding and starts spending on vital infrastructure projects. I am certain that when the budget is re-introduced it will be a budget that we can all be proud of.

Meredith Hansen-Charles
Cambridge
Secretary of State for Education
Minister for Women and Equalities

Dylan Macmillan has been right to raise the issue of benefit spending, it was a terrible mistake what happened and we will correct it, but with Dylan Macmillan becoming a convert to protecting welfare spending how on earth will he explain to his party that we won't cut welfare spending if he ever gets back into power?

Meredith Hansen-Charles
Cambridge
Secretary of State for Education
Minister for Women and Equalities

The Tories' response to the budget has been wild and unwieldy. Dylan Macmillan seems very confused about health policy, for instance, with his frankly bizarre demand that we provide staff for hospitals that do not exist yet. I am similarly unclear on his views on welfare; I had believed he wanted to cut the welfare budget but seemed to press this unusual criticism of any policies that did so. If I were a Conservative, I'd be thoroughly perplexed as to where my Leader stands on the key issues. As a Labourite, however, I am very clear on where the Prime Minister stands based on her progressive budget proposals. In today's politics, the policies transcend party loyalty and I am proud to support the progressive policies the Finance Bill will put forward.

The Labour Party may think that staffing hospitals is a silly little inconvenience but for patients the absence of hundreds of doctors and nurses is potentially life threatening. The budget as it was before it was withdrawn did not provide enough new staff to meet the new capacity and was as such genuinely unfit for the work it needed to do. If Labour do not understand the staffing requirements of our NHS then quite frankly they are unfit to run it.

Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire
Leader of the Opposition (2014-16)

Astrid Vincenti has spent a lot of time claiming that the budget that was just withdrawn was some form of progressive utopia, indeed as the budget was being withdrawn she praised it. What is progressive about pledging to protect the triple lock for pensions and then ignoring it in an "administrative oversight"? What is progressive about taking all pension benefits and unlinking them to inflation? What is progressive about failing to provide hospitals with the staff needed for the capital investment that the Government had proposed. This Budget was not a progressive marvel, it was an abject failure. If this is the best the Government can do then they should resign today.

Conservative MP for North East Bedfordshire
Leader of the Opposition (2014-16)

“Stalin: Stop sending people to kill me! We’ve already captured five of them, one with a bomb and another with a rifle… If you don’t stop sending killers, I’ll send one to Moscow, and I won’t have to send another” - Tito

There's no real way of sugar coating this, but the government was caught pretty majorly on the backfoot and it showed. That said, when it came to substance there were some really excellent contributions from the Prime Minister, the BECC Secretary, and Astrid V. But you can polish it as much as you like, it's still what it is. And the opposition's attacks on some obvious errors were therefor ultimately more effective